The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-09
REV. JOHN JASPER.
An Interview with This Noted Coloreo
Divine.


John Jasper, pastor of the Sixth Mount
Zion Baptistchurch, of this city. This ven
cradle man (who will be IS years old on the
anniversary of the country's indie
pendence next month"; lives in the
bosom of Jackson ward, at LIP
North St James street. Here it was that
s.The-Sun-D Do Move" sermon, which gave
him such notoriety, was evolved Here he
sits i'll his room, on the second floor. and
studies his Bible and brushes the hieS away
with cato -nine-tails, while seven of his
portraits lone marked John Jasper, D. d.,
look down from the walls of his chamber,
and his wife busies herself with household
duties on the floor below.
THREE WIVES.
The old man has been married three
times. He was born in F7uvanna, and
while in slavery lin 1889 he first married.
He and his wife both belonged to the
Peachy estate. "After my ole mistiss died y
says he, 'all the eStase was divided up, and
l was taken one way and my wife another
In 1874 he was again married. During the
war he welded his present wife. Jasper
has several children living and some dead.
He is also grandfather and greatrgrand-
father.
HIS PASTORAL LIFE.
Parson Jasper says he he has been preach
ing since the first Sunday in February,
1870. From this time until the enlancipa-
ton of the slaves he preached around in
different counties for the benefit of different
people, who would pay his owners for the
time he was away. After the war his first
pastoral charge was i'm Petersburg. In
1867 he organized his present congregation,
with nine members and for a long time
they worshipped in a stable on Browns
: island in the river A bridge ran to the
island from Richmond in those days. They
afterward secured house at the corner of
Fourth and Cary streets, whence they re-
moved to the structure (Duval, between st.
John and st. James,, which has been pulled
down only in the past few weeks to make
place for a new and larger one. In old
times this was the Duval-Street (white)
Presbyterian church building
HOW HE WAS CONVERTED.
The divine was asked who converted
him.
p God Almighty" he quickly answered.
81 was converted just like Saul of Tarsus
I was converted in the Capitol square
while the people were celebrating the Fourth
of July. had an engagement that night to
go to see some girls, when all of a sudden a
deep impression fell upon my soul. had
seen people die, and began to think about
that and other serious things. 1 went right
out of the square and went home and bun
died myself up"
what do you mean by bundled your
self up?' .....
'Well, l mean 1 left off my Sunday
clothes and put on my old clothes When
Sunday came | put on the worse clothes |
had In bout two weeks God converted me
and anointed me with the Holy Ghost, and
made me the Moses of my race, and said
shouldn't be succeeded in my day, and
should answer the infidel. The prophecy is
fulfilled Moses led the children of Israel
and 1arr Ia1x ,la 70.
eight years already.
'Well, after | got converted | wanted to
join the church. When l went before em
to be Intercepted they asked me about my
conversion. l told EN-. Then they asked
me if l could read the. Bible. told 'em no;
hadn't read the Bible. 1t was old man
Robert Spriggs asked me that He's
dead now. 1 told him l hadn't read the
Bible because l never had but seven months
education, and that | stole from a New
York spelling book | call it stealing be-
cause slaves wasn't allowed to learn. Well,
he asked me what knew bout the Spirit of
God; how did know had it? 1 told em l
knew it, cause l felt it; that's the way
know it. WE'LL after they got through in
terrogating me 1 Joined the church and
went right to preaching, and been preach
ing ever since didn't have any education,
but called Oh God for understanding and
Christian Judgment, and He gave it to me"
NO MANUSCRIPT.
'Do you ever write your sermons"
Il never wrote a sermon in my life. NY
gift is a spiritual gift, and when / preach
am led on by the spirit of God. Ny mind
flies through the Bible like flash of light
ming. Sometimes if had six tongues
could use 'em all at once. No trouble for
me to get doctrine. The spirit of God
brings me more doctrine than l can speak
| couldn't speak from manuscript anyway.
I'd forget it was on the Bible in front of me.
| haven't decided yet what texts l will
preach from tomorrow.
How many sermons do you preach a
day?'
1.-TWO now. I've preached four day.
And I've seen the time when | could a.
preached sermon for every hour in the
day. My voice used to be so loud that you
could hear me from Shockoe Hill to Rock
ets.n
s How long have you been living in Rich
mondF'
'.Since 1885, answered the old preacher
as he looked up over his octagon-shaped
spectacles. 81 amt been living in this
house but fifteen years."
There have. been lots of changes in
things since you came here, haven't there's"
ANCIENT RICHMOND.
Eyes, sir. When l first came here, there
wasn't over three brick houses between
1wenty-tirSt street and Rockets There
was some few shanties on Main street. The
city was only laid off as far as Adams
street. West of that was nothing but woods.
Fourth street was the city limits. At sec
ond and Broad streets the old Brackets
tavern stood. Only in the pest forty-eight
years has there been street from Church
Hill to Shockoe Hill. Just at Broad street
and Jail alley Broad street ended Below
was the gully and the creek. The Danville
depot was vacant lot. Bout a dozen
houses were built in Manchester. Near
Mayos bridge vessels used to come up and
unload. Cary street was a muddy country
road-no houses on it at all. There wasn't
no railroads here then Mayo's bridge was
the only one cross the river. Trent's bridge
had stood where the Free bridge is now, but
it was washed away. Everybody had to
pay 10 pence to go across the bridge. If
you didn't have but DC. you couldn't CO."
LARGE CONGREGATION.
"What's the membership of your church
now?" asked the reporter, hauling the parson
in from the past to the present.
Between 2,400 and $500. new reg
istration was begun some time ago, and
many members did not come up. Some
have since repented and joined, but good
many are out now"
THE FAMOUS SERMON
81 Ia, ,Nraacbad ,ot,t. car